[conundrum]

While I prefer to stick to the 'DX' role play items and mecha for my galleries and reviews, every once in a while I come across something that gives me little choice but to break that self-imposed rule. This gallery features the Byakkoshinken and Kiba Ranger from Gosei Sentai Dairanger, made by the now defunct Yutaka toys.

We take a look back on this item not because it's of particularly good quality or a must-have for any collection, but rather because it showcases the kind of cheaper, low-end product that Yutaka produced. With more and more listings of Yutaka's Super Sentai offerings popping up on ebay (generally at ridiculous prices), this gallery is meant to inform and forewarn rather than impress.

Yutaka, a branch of Bandai formed from the remnants of Shinsei Manufacturing, only lasted from January 1990 until March 1, 2003. The company is known for the multitude of bargain role play items and action figures of many popular Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and anime series that it produced. After it's doors closed, Yutaka was restructured into Popy Co., Ltd.

On to the set:

Despite the cheap production cost of the enclosed items, the box for this Kiba Ranger set is pretty well done and visually interesting to look at. Yes, the same graphics are used repeatedly all over the package, but I'm somewhat surprised on how well they rendered (given the use of early 90's technology).

The Kiba Ranger figure stands at approximately 4.5 inches tall, weighs approximately 1.25 ounces, and has a whole 5 points of articulation. The plastic admittedly feels fairly cheap, having a soft, rubber-like consistency. The paint applications look fairly good on the front of the figure but are entirely absent from the back. The figure does come with two weapons, a Star Sword and Star Cutter but oddly lacks a Byakkoshinken.

The larger Byakkoshinken is approximately 10 inches long, 2.5 inches wide at the hilt, and weighs approximately 2.25 ounces. The Byakkoshinken lacks any painted details, relying on 3 stickers for any kind of color. The white plastic of the 'sword' feels more solid than that of Kiba Ranger and has a little bit of 'heft' to it despite it's size. The handle and head of Byakkoshinken admittedly have some nice sculpted detail which would easily pop with just a little bit of paint. The 'blade' of the sword is simply a hollow piece of grey plastic that feels like it would snap off the hilt with the tiniest bit of force.

The last piece of the set is a 'badge' of Kiba Ranger that reuses the same graphic as the box art. The badge is approximately 1.75 inches across and has a convenient clip on the back so it can be attached to clothing (I guess).

All in all, this Kiba Ranger set is more a collector's item because it was made by a now-defunct company rather than because of it's subject matter. If you want a Byakkoshinken for your collection, scour ebay for an MMPR Saba (or wait for the inevitable Legacy release). If you want a quirky, low end Byakkoshinken that is really tempting to turn into a letter-opener (seriously) and see this set for cheap, go for it.